Jimmy Carter biography in the works by Jonathan Alter

President Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis. Carter is working with author Jonathan Alter on a new biography. (Jessica McGowan / Getty Images)

Jonathan Alter is at work on a biography of Jimmy Carter with the full cooperation of the former president, publisher Simon & Schuster announced Tuesday. Earlier this month, Carter, 90, shared the news that he will be undergoing treatment for cancer.

Alter has been working with Carter, his friends and his family since early 2015. The book is slated for publication in 2018.

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Carter served a single term as president from 1977-1981. After a rousting defeat by Ronald Reagan, Carter returned to Georgia, slowly regrouped and founded the Carter Center, dedicated to allieviating the deprivations of poverty and fostering world peace. For his international diplomacy, Carter was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

"The record shows that, despite what he calls his 'involuntary retirement' in 1980, Carter was a far-sighted president who achieved much more than people realize," Alter said in a statement. "But his presidency is only part of an epic story that spans three centuries, extending from a rural boyhood not much different than that of the 19th century, to a young adulthood in the vortex of the 20th century civil rights movement, to the frontiers of 21st century peacemaking and disease eradication. This book is warts and all, but will probe the complexities of his stellar and inspiring character, shaped throughout by his religious faith."

Alter's bestselling biographies include "The Promise: President Obama, Year One," "The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies," and "The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope."